Dear Students, welcome back to Loyola Campus, especially to LICET. We begin a new academic year – We realize that we have grown in many areas of knowledge, expertise, and experience. We could also think of one particular area that we want to make progress in this academic year. We have many things to be thankful and we have many people to be grateful. Could we think of one specific event last academic year for which we are thankful? And could we recall one person in particular to whom we are grateful for our growth?
Let us begin this academic year with a sense of gratitude. We have been brought up to this stage by so many people and events – Everyone and every event that we have encountered in the past has shaped us and we are by what has been done to us. While we thank them from our heart, let us also think how we could reflect our goodness to others in this year.
We came here with a dream. Let us look back and see how this dream has shaped up. For many of us, this dream has grown bigger; for some of us, this dream has slightly changed direction; and for a few of us, this dream might have become nightmare. But let us have the courage to keep going with clarity of purpose. For some of us, the decision to take a particular subject in engineering might have been taken by others, perhaps our parents or friends, but now let us make it our own decision and go forward with confidence.
Confidence in yourself and trust in God are very much essential in life to make greater things possible. In the story of the Israelites, as we read in the book of Samuel, David a little shepherd boy makes bold to meet a veteran army chief Goliath. Goliath is roaring in the battlefield and he is laughing at the little boy David who has come to face him in the battle field. Goliath, 9 feet in height, has a giant sword to fight, whereas David has a little sling, what we would call a handmade catapult, as a weapon. As the giant Goliath comes running to smash David, the little David puts a pebble stone into the catapult, swings it and lets it go. The pebble stone hits the skull of Goliath, and the giant falls down defeated. It is not the material security we have, but the feeling of importance and confidence that I am somebody and I have something worth to offer to this world to make it better should be driving force for us all to go ahead in the world of challenges. Have the courage to face the challenges and possess the confidence to turn obstacles into opportunities. You would be fine and great.
In this process make use of the store house of knowledge and power which is within you. It is your subconsciousness. Your subconscious is the power house with infinite energy and information within. Whenever someone came to Jesus to be healed, he would say: Your faith has healed you (Mk 5:34). Psychologists interpret this that Jesus touched their inner power house, that is the subconscious, which had the healing power. They say that the origin is subconscious and the faith in God and confidence in yourself are the process in getting what you want. In your life, tell your subconscious often what you want to become in life and you would see things happen to you accordingly. Ask any great personality, they would say that they wanted it, they willed it, and they worked for it.
And you, in addition, should have the singularity of purpose: I remember the story about Arjuna. There was a competition: A pole stands in a water pond and a fish is tied at the top of the pole. The competition is, you should look at the reflection of the fish in the water and shoot it with the arrow. Before the competition, the competitors were asked. “What do you see?”: One said I see my friends; another said I see my teacher; but Arjuna said, I see the fish. Make it clear to yourself what you want to achieve in life and keep it in focus all the time and remind yourself often about your target or goal in life.
We all need role model in life to imitate how to see invisible things and to achieve impossible things. You could think of Ekalaivan. He asked a great Guru to be his teacher but he refused. So Ekalaivan made a statue of this Guru and did all his practices in private and he became an expert par excellence. Success in life depends upon two important things: i. Vision of seeing the invisible opportunities; and ii. Mission of facing and solving the impossible challenges. You need to have a model and mentor who would accompany you all through your life. Now, it could be your teacher but you need friends who will be with you always. Never think I have nothing – Never think I have everything – But, always think: I have something and I can achieve anything. Make use of your days now to find friends who would guide you and accompany you along the road of goodness.
Finally, keep your dream alive and be alert to the vision you develop from your dream. And follow the track to reach the destination of your vision. Make use of all props and helps academically or otherwise to achieve the best in your life. Never settle down for mediocrity and never be satisfied with the status quo – keep going and do better in order to make the world a better place to live for all. This might need hard work – I am sure you have this power. Wish you all the best now and always. May your dream become reality for the good of all.